Summary:
Zip code 48739, serving the Hale, MI area, is home to just one school: Hale Area School, a K-12 institution within the Hale Area Schools district, enrolling 347 students in a rural, high-poverty community where 75.5% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
As the only school in the area, Hale Area School shows a mixed but revealing profile. The school shines in early elementary, with 3rd graders scoring 50% proficient in ELA and 59.4% in math—both well above state averages by roughly 12 and 17 points respectively. However, this advantage fades by 4th grade, and scores generally dip below state levels through middle school, with 7th-grade ELA particularly weak at 22.2% proficiency. A notable bright spot is the 11th-grade SAT reading score of 76.5%, which is 24.4 points above the state average, suggesting strong literacy skills by high school. The school also posts a graduation rate of 88.8%, exceeding the state’s 84.0%, and a lower dropout rate of 5.5% versus 7.1% statewide. Chronic absenteeism is also better than average at 24.3% compared to 27.9%.
Performance is volatile year-to-year, likely due to small class sizes—for instance, 8th-grade social studies jumped 23 points to 61.1%, while 5th-grade ELA fell nearly 20 points to 34.5%. The current 8th-grade cohort appears particularly strong, excelling in PSAT math (50% vs. 33.2% state) and social studies. Weaknesses are most apparent in upper-grade science and social studies, with 8th-grade science at 22.2% and 11th-grade social studies at 29.4%, both well below state norms. With per-student spending of $15,584, the school invests heavily, likely due to the high cost of running a full K-12 program for a small population. For parents, this school offers strong early learning and high school reading success, but families should be aware of the middle school slump and inconsistent subject-area results.
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